Wood-steaming apparatus.



F. SCHREIBMAN.

WOOD STEAMING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, I911- }26 1 ,445. Patented Apr. 2, 191 8.

FREDERIC SCI-IREIBMAN, or TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

WOOD-STEAIVIING ArPARATUs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed January 5. 1917. Serial No. 140,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnio SCHRFJB- MAN, a subject of the Czar of Russia, and a resident of the city of Toronto, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVood-Steaming Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for saturating wood blanks by means of steam preparatory to subjecting said blanks to pressure for the purpose of bending them into prescribed shape. I-Ieretofore this has been done mainly by subjecting the wooden blanks to high pressure steam in a sealed chest or chamber in which they were piled en masse one upon the other, with the result that the degree of saturating was not uniform for all, nor for all parts of a single blank; that much steam was wasted each time the chamber was opened for the removal of a blank; that this involved not only loss but difiiculty and even danger owing to the use of high pressure steam; and that the whole contents of the steam chest had to be removed before recharging same, thus reducing the effective capacity of the chest and resulting in loss of time.

My invention is designed to obviate these diiiiculties, and to afford simple yet effective means whereby the process of saturation of wooden blanks may be rendered continuous with the use of low pressure or exhaust steam; whereby all sides of each wooden blank treated are uniformly and effectually exposed to the moisture; and whereby the treatment accorded certain blanks may be varied. to conform to the various requirements of the (liii'erent grades or kinds of wood used, or the purpose for which the blanks are to be employed.

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure l, is a plan of my improved woodsteaming apparatus, broken away in part to show the interior;

Fig. 2, is a transverse sectional elevation, taken upon plane of line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a front end elevation.

My improved steam chest consists of an elongated parallelogram of suitable length. the top, bottom, side and end wall of which are each preferably constructed of two layers of boards I), b, positioned at right angles to each other to insure strength and tightness,-the whole being bound intact by me tallic channel bars I), 72 bolted together at adjacent ends.

In the longitudinal chamber (J, thus produced is installed a steam-distributing system of piping consisting of a medially positioned rack S, connected with a steam supply pipe 8, and two or more similar racks C, S connected with the medial rack S, and steam supply by means of leader pipes 8, 8 as indicated in Fig. 1. Any desired or appropriate number of these steaming racks may be installed in the steam chamber C, according to its length and the require ments of use; and whatever the plural number provided they are arranged in equidistant relationship both as to each other and as to the length of the chamber Thus in the drawings the medial steaming rack S, is situated half way between the ends of the chamber C, and the supplementary steaming racks S, S", are each so positioned as to distribute the steam evenly to the end portions of the chamber. ln other words, dividing the space between the medial steaming rack S. and each end of the chamber 0, into three, the supplementary steaming racks S, S are each positioned two thirds of the distance from said medial rack S. and one thirdfrom the. adjacent end of the chamber. In this manner the area of the chamber is equably apportioned to each steaming rack; and the same rule of subdivision of space is to be followed whatever the plural number of steam-' ing racks provided in the chamber (1.

I designate the parts S. i", iihSiiezLllllil}! racks because they perform the double function of distributing the steam and of atl'ording support for the wooden planks or blanks p, to be saturated. Their structure .is shown particularly in Fig. 2, each being formed of piping consisting of top or cross bead members s", 8 and a plurality of parallel rack pipes 8 a, connected in series with said head members a, by means of successive T joints and couplings, constituting collectively the vertical side members a, of the rack. The rack pipes a, 8 are perforated for the escape of the steam there'- from, and also afl'ord individual support for the blanks 79, which may be inserted between them to rest on all three of the racks, presuming the blanks to be of maximum length.

The chamber 0, is subdivided into a plurality of compartments by one or more longitudinal partitions a, according to the numher and size of separate compartments de sired. Thus in the drawings the chamber G, is shown as apportioned off into four separate compartments G, C C C", by central horizontal and perpendicular partitions a, a, extending longitudinally the whole length of the said steam-chest chamber C.

These partitions may be made of sheet metal or any other 'material, as may be found most expedient. The rack pipes 8' 8 extend through said partitions, which fit closely but are not necessarily sealed. They are suificiently tight however to prevent any material escape of steam from one compartment to the other, and as low pressure steam is preferably used .in the apparatus the isolation of the compartments, the one from the others, is adequate for all practical. purposes of use. If high pressure steam is to be used the partition joints and pipe bearings. may be packed accordingly, but low pressure steam is preferable for economical and other reasons, being frequently available as eX- haust, and being less dangerous. Furthermore its use involves a minimum of waste by escape when a door is opened temporarily for the removal or insertion of a blank 29.

Each compartment is furnished with its own door or closure d, at the front end of the chest, so that access may be had to any one of the compartments 0, C C 0*, with out opening or disturbing the others. Thus the wooden blanks p, in any one of the several compartments may be subjected to special treatment when desirable owing to the nature of the wood or the purpose for which it is intended to be used.

The'most important advantage of my plurality of compartments however, is that it renders the apparatus susceptible of continuous operation, since the blanks aswitlr drawn individually for use may be replaced by others; and by drawing upon and replenishing the several compartments successively in regular order it is obvious that ample time may be attained for the complete saturation of the blanks before use. For instance the contents or" compartment C, may be withdrawn and replenished, and will again be in condition for use in turn after compartments C C and C have been suc- V cessively drawn upon and replenished, and so on continuously for all of them without any intermission for the purpose of recharging as heretofore,in which latter case time has to be allowed for the saturation of the whole fresh charge before it is available for use, whereas once started my apparatus is susceptible of affording-a continuous supply of saturated blanks for immediate use, as hereinbefore set forth.

Furthermore the time requisite for saturation of blanks p, is less as compared with the old method of piling them en masse together in a chest, because in my apparatus each blank 39, is separately and individually supported and treated,the steam having' access to all of its sides from the very inception of its introduction into the steam chest. And by this means I also attain a more perfect blank by attaining uniformity of saturation thereof from one end to the other, thus lessening chance of breakage during the subsequent bending operation, since relatively dry parts in a. blank render it brittle and unable to withstand the strain of the dies.

In the old method of charging a steam chest with the blanks piled indiscriminately one upon the other, obviously those at the bottom of the pile cannot be removed until those above are disposed of, so that the whole chest has to be emptied before it can be recharged. Under ordinary conditions of using the blanks as required, one by one, this would take several hours, and after the chest is re-charged several hours more would be required to saturate the fresh blanks, all. of which time is saved in my apparatus because blanks can be substituted for those withdrawn, and the lower tier of blanks in a compartmentare as readily accessible as the upper or any intermediate row.

' What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

700d steaming apparatus of the character designated, comprising a steam chest and a plurality of steaming racks contained therein and formed with substantially horizontally disposed perforated rack pipes for the independent support of the wood blanks, together with means for supplying steam to said rack pipes, said steam chest being subdivided by partition into a plurality of separate compartments each having its means for access and closure, for the purpose set forth.

rnnnnmo SGHREIBMAN.

. Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the CommissionerofPatents,

Vvashingtcn, D. C. v 

